[josh3736]

It's almost certainly the real estate taxes.

In California, Prop 13 makes real estate tax effectively de minimis (especially if you bought a long time ago), and the higher income tax rates make up for that.

Texas rates are higher and there's no limitation on their growth.

This difference is obscured if you're a renter.

[jotux]

Real estate and sales tax are what get people in texas: https://www.cato.org/blog/are-taxes-really-lower-california-...